Portable crib



March 14, 1944. v SCHUBERT 2,344,270

PORTABLE CRIB Filed March 10, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVEHTOR, [Vi/f0Schubert March 14, 1944. M. v. SCHUBERT PORTABLE CRIB 1943 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Marsh 10 I YEN TOR, flili'on V. Schubert,

Patented Mar. 14, 1944 PORTABLE CRIB Milton V..Schube'rt; NorthManchester, Ind; assignor to The Schubert Company; North Manchester, Inda firm comprised of Milton, V. Schubert and Albert E. Cottey ApplicationMarch 10, 1942, SerialNo. 478,685

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a structure for use as a portable crib,granary, or silo for holding grain, such as wheat, soy beans, shelledcorn and ear corn. When used as a silo, the structure is suitable forholding the common ensilage and may also be used to store cut hay.

A primary object of the invention is to provide such a structure insectional form wherein the sections are originally constructed in fiatform for ease of storage and shipping, and when erected may be bowedinto arcs of a circle so that the completed structure is substantiallycylindrical. Moreover, by providing the separate sections, the diameterof the finished crib may be made as great or small as may be desired,depending upon the number of sections utilized.

A still further important object of the invention resides in the factthat, particularly during war time, available materials other thanmetals may readily be employed. Wood, for example, is very suitable foruse in this structure but elements made of concrete, plywood, pressedwood and the like may be utilized in those sections of the country whereavailability and price permit.

It often happens that storage space is not immediately available uponharvesting of the grains or crops for ensilage and hay, and some quicklyset up structure is desirableto take care of the emergency. Thestructure embodying the invention is particularly designed to meet suchemergencies because of itsrelatively' low initial cost, speed of settingup, tightness; as well as being in a convenient form for storage whendisassembled and one section nested upon another.

A further important object of the invention is to provide means forcircumferentially tying the various elements in each section, one snuglyagainst the other so as to provide a substantially air-tight wall whenso desired. The invention incorporates means for automaticallyincreasing the tension of these circumferential tying members whentheindividual section is pulled from the original flat condition to thearcuate-s-hape which it assumes in the wall of the crib.

These and many other objects, and advantages of. the invention willbecome apparent to those versed in the art in the following descriptionof one particular form of the invention as i1lustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of aside of a structure embodying the invention;

Fig. 2, a top plan view;

Fig. 3, a view in elevation of the outside of a wall section;

Fig. 4, a view in elevation of the left-hand end.

of the wall section in Fig. 3';

Fig. 5, a view in elevation. of the right-hand end of the wall section;

Fig. 6, a view in section on the line 6-6 in Fig. 3;

Fig. 7, aview in detail in horizontaltransverse. section through a.joint between adjacent sections;

Fig. 8, a view in. perspective. and partial section in detail of theanchoring means of a tie member; and

Fig. 9", a view in outside elevation in perspective of a fragmentarypart of a section wall in modified form for use as an air vented storagewall.

Like characters of reference indicate like parts throughout the severalviews in the drawings.

In the drawings, referring first to Figs. 3-6 inclusive, 2. unitwall'section is formed'by placing a plurality of staves, I'll edge toedge between a pair of headers H and I2. While not limiting theinvention to the precise dimensions, one parti'cular commercial form isproduced by using staves l x 4" and2 x4 headers. The lengths of thesevarious units H], H and I2 are'the same and may be supplied as desired,such as eight, ten, twelve and fourteen feet. These staves and headersmay be made out of any suitable material as' above indicated, but at thepresent time, wood is available and'is quite suitable for the purpose.The 2"x4" headers II' and I2 are turned on edge to have opposing facesabut the outermost edges of the outermost staves, ID in the group. Thenumber of staves employed will depend, of course, upon the size of wallsection desired, but forv sake of convenience in'handling withoutexcessive weight, the width of each section is made to be approximatelysix feet.

In order to tie the staves Ill and the end headers H and I2 together;into the one unit,

a plurality of wires are inserted through holes in each" of thosemembers and the ends of the wires anchored on the headers H and I22Specifically; each of the staves I0 is provided with a hole passingtherethrough from one edge to the opposite edge with its axis parallelto the outer face of the stave, the passageway or hole being locatedoff-center to be nearer the outer face of the stave than the inner face,as best indicated" A number of these passageways arein Fig. 6.providedthroughout the length. of each stave H1 in spaced apart parallelalignment, as indicated in Fig. 3. Each stave-10' is symmetrical inrespect to the location and sizes'of these horizon-' tally disposedpassageways. Each header II and I2 is correspondingly bored through tohave passageways in alignment and matching with those through the stavesIII. A wire I 3, such as a number nine steel wire having a rather highdegree of elasticity, is threaded through one set of these passagewaysfrom header II to I2. The passageways are made to be of that diameterwhich will best permit the wire to be readily inserted therethrough withno appreciable clearance therearound. The end of the wire extendingthrough one header, header II for xample, is bent at a right angle toextend by a short length along a slot I4, diagonally across the outerface of the header. The slot may be a saw kerf, for example, where woodheaders are employed. By running the slot diagonally across the headerface, a longer length of wire may be used across the header face thanwere the slot at right angles to the header edge. This bent over end isforced down into the slot I4 and there secured by any suitable means,such as by staples I5, here shown as two in number, in order to have theoutermost exposed part of this bent over wire and the overlappingstaples fiush with the outer face of the header.

The wire I3 is of such length that it may be pulled through the headerI2 with the staves I compressibly interengaged one against the otherbetween the headers II and I2, and the wire then bent downwardly alongthe outer face of the header I2 and then inserted back through the nextlower set of passageways through the header I2, staves I0 and header II.Preferably the wire is bent sharply from that length emerging from theheader I2 and then'bent sharply again where it returns back through theheader I2 in order that there be no tendency for the wire to shift atthese points. 7 The sharp bends provide anchors in that respect. Againthe end of the wire, which is provided of sufficient length to protrudethrough the header II, is bent over sharply to follow along anotherslot, Fig. 4, and pressed and secured therein by any suitable means,such as staples I as used on the other end of the wire. This end of theWire is likewise forced down into the slot so that its outermost sideand the engaging staples are flush with the outer face of the header II. In the same manner wires are inserted through the adjacent sets ofholes throughout the lengths of the staves and headers, as indicated inFig. 3. The tension applied to the wire I3 in each instance is justsufficient to bring the staves III and headers II and I2 into snugengagement, one with the other.

A plurality of sections thus formed as above described are set on edgeon any suitable foundation II, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, to havethe outer'face of one header II in contact with the outer face of thenext adjacent header I2. Each section is bowed to assume an arc of thecircle whose diameter is that of the desired finished crib or bin. Inbowing each section, the inner edge portions of each stave will beforced quite snugly, on against the other, while the outer edge portionsmay tend to separate slightly, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. In thisrespect, the headers II and I2 extend outwardly from the outer faces ofthe various staves I0, being those faces toward which the wires I3 aremore closely spaced.

As each section is bowed around into arcuate form, the wire I3 is placedunder increasing tension, depending upon the degree of curvature towhich the section is bowed. By spacing the wires I3 toward the outerfaces of the staves II), the maximum possible thickness of stave isbetween those Wires I3 and the inner faces of the individual staves Into provide for structural strength.

The adjacent headers II and I2 are bolted through the outwardlyextending portions, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, by bolts I8.Preferably the headers II and I2 are bored for these bolts at thefactory where the sections are produced so that the bolt holes 34 willbe uniform in spacing apart, and most particularly, so that the holes 34in the respective'headers will be in perfect alignment to permit easyinsertion of the bolts therethrough.

In most cases it is desirable to provide doors orentryways through theside of the crib 0r bin. The structure readily lends itself to theprovision of such entrances. For example, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2,the header II of one section is spaced apart from the header I2 of thenext adjacent section and this spacing is secured by means of bolts I9extending through those headers with nuts 20 and 2I thereon abuttingopposing faces of those headers II and I2, and nuts 22 and 23 on theouter ends holding those headers I I and I2 in the fixed, spaced apartdimension. For convenience in erection, thumb screws or wing nuts 23 areemployed.

While a variety of forms of doors may be employed or spaced apart slatsused where ear corn is to be stored, one particular form of door isherein shown as an example. In this form, a plurality of separate doorunits 24 are employed, each unit comprising a plurality of transverselyplaced boards 25 secured together by end vertically disposed battens 26.The inner faces of the headers II and I2 carry door jambs 21 and 28respectively thereon behind the nuts 20 and 2I to serve as means againstwhich the door units 25 may bear, particularly where the inner faces ofthe door units 25 are desired to be kept flush with the inner edges ofthe headers II and I2, Fig. 2. These units 25 are spaced one above theother throughout the length of the opening left between the headers IIand I2. Any suitable means may be employed to secure them in positionwhen no pressure of grain or the like is had from the inner side. Oneparticular form as herein shown, consists of slats 29 secured across theouter edges of the headers I I and I2, one slat in the present form foreach unit 25, and bolts 38 and 3| secured to and extending from eachunit 25 pass outwardly through the respective slats 29 to receive ontheir outer ends suitable nuts, such as the wing nuts 32. Thus, as iscustomary in silo constructions, a unit 25 at a time may be removed topermit access into the interior of the crib or bin.

Where ear corn is to be stored, particularly early in the season, it maybe desirable to pro vide a crib to permit circulation of airtherethrough. In this case, a structure such as is indicated in Fig. 9is employed wherein the staves II! are spaced apart by spacing blocks 33inserted between adjacent staves ID, the wires I3 passing through theblocks in each instance. The wires I3 may be tensioned, as aboveindicated, in the same manner since the spacing blocks 33 arecompressibly engaged between adjacent staves Ill. The width of theseblocks 33, of course, determines the spacing between staves I0, andtherefore th amount of air that may be allowed to circulate.

While it is not shown herein, and does not form a part of the inventionper se, it is obvious that the crib or bin may be provided with asuitable roof to protect the contents against the elements. No referenceabove has been made to the particular formation of the abutting edges ofthe staves l0. These edges may, as indicated in Fig. 6, be parallel onewith the other when the wall unit section is in its fiat form. However,where additional protection is desired against entrance of air, such asmay be thought necessary in holding ensilage, these edges may be ofmatched construction of any suitable form, one such form being indicatedin Fig. '7 where the common tongue and groove construction is indicatedas is found in flooring. In fact the common 1" x 4 dressed flooringserves very well to constitute the staves l0.

While I have herein shown and described my invention in the oneparticular form, it is obvious that structural variations may beemployed without departing from the spirit of the invention and Itherefore do not desire to be limited to that precise form beyond thelimitations as may be imposed by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A portable crib or the like, comprising a plurality of side wallsections one secured to the other, each of said sections comprising aplurality of vertically disposed wall members each having parallel edgessubstantially normal to the inner faces of said members; end members ineach wall section each having its inner face flush with the inner facesof said wall members, and having an outer portion extending beyond theouter faces of the wall members; a plurality of wires extending undertension through all of said wall members and said end members betweentheir inner and outer faces; means interengaging the ends of said wireswith said end members to retain said wires under tension to causeoriginal abutment between and throughout said wall member edges, wherebybending of said wall sections into arcuate form will increase said wiretension and abutment pressure along one portion of said edges; and boltspassing through a pair of each juxtaposed end members outside of theplane of the outer faces of said wall members.

2. A portable crib or the like, comprising a plurality of side wallsections one secured to the other, each of said sections comprising aplurality of vertically disposed wall members each having parallel edgessubstantially normal to the inner faces of said members; end members ineach wall section each having its inner face flush with the inner facesof said wall members, and having an outer portion extending beyond theouter faces of the wall members; a plurality of wires extending undertension through all of said wall members and said end members betweentheir 5 inner and outer faces; means interengaging the ends of saidwires with said end members to retain said wires under tension to causeoriginal abutment between and throughout said wall member edges, wherebybending of said wall sections into arcuate form will increase said wiretension and abutment pressure along one portion of said edges; and boltspassing through a pair of each juxtaposed end members outside of theplane of the outer faces of said wall members; said wire and end memberinterengaging means comprising end portions of said wires bent over ontothe end faces of the end members, whereby upon securing one end memberagainst another, said bent over wire portions are retained againsttendency to straighten under said increased wire tension.

3. A portable crib or the like, comprising a plurality of side wallsections one secured to the other, each of said sections comprising aplurality of vertically disposed wall members each having parallel edgessubstantially normal to the inner faces of said members; end members ineach wall section each having its inner face flush with the inner facesof said wall members, and having an outer portion extending beyond theouter faces of the wall members; a plurality of wires extending undertension through all of said wall members and said end members betweentheir inner and outer faces; means interengaging the ends of said wireswith said end members to retain said wires under tension to causeoriginal abutment between and throughout said' wall member edges,whereby bending of said wall sections into arcuate form will increasesaid wire 40 tension and abutment pressure along one portion of saidedges; and bolts passing through a pair of each juxtaposed end membersoutside of the plane of the outer faces of said wall members; said wireand end member interengaging means comprising end portions of said wiresbent over onto the end faces of the end members, whereby upon securingone end member against another, said bent over wire portions areretained against tendency to straighten under said increased wiretension; each of said end members having slots across their opposing endfaces, into which slots said wire portions are positioned.

MILTON V. SCHUBERT.

